Latest news with #Vietnamese-American
Int'l Business Times
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
Làng Văn: The Timeless Pulse of Vietnamese Music
Lan Nguyễn - Co-Founder & CEO of Làng Văn Few names have endured for over four decades in an industry that rises and falls with the tides of technology and trends. For almost half a century, Làng Văn has not only survived. It has become a steward of legacy. From cassette tapes to the era of artificial intelligence (AI), the company has bridged the analog and digital with heart, vision, and a dedication to preserving Vietnamese musical heritage. Today, as one of the world's most comprehensive Vietnamese music catalogs, Làng Văn stands as a forward-thinking powerhouse writing the next chapter of the region's music history. The name Làng Văn, meaning "village of literature" or "village of letters," was born from a longing for home. When its founders arrived in the US as refugees, they felt a profound yearning to preserve the culture they had left behind. That desire sparked the creation of Làng Văn not only as a label but as a cultural sanctuary where artists, storytellers, and the Vietnamese diaspora could gather, remember, and create. Based in Westminster, California, a city that became one of the centers of post-1975 Vietnamese music, Làng Văn has long served as the backbone of Vietnamese audio and visual media. It has become a custodian of the Vietnamese sound, with an archive of tens of thousands of audio recordings, numerous videos, and the acquired catalogs of multiple labels. Whether the golden voices of renowned names or the rich spectrum of genres from traditional folk to modern hip hop, Làng Văn preserves identity. It has been a musical lifeline for generations of Vietnamese people in the United States and Vietnam, capturing the stories of people and carrying them into the future. Besides its massive catalog and iconic artists, Làng Văn stands out for its roots, which are deeply personal, familial, and intertwined with the history of the Vietnamese diaspora. Its origin story begins with Làng Văns COO, Mimi Nguyễn's mother, Lan Nguyễn, and father, Chúc Lê. Nguyễn's mother is from a family whose bloodline runs thick with music, enterprise, and cultural impact. Thanh Lan - Founder of Trung Tâm Thanh Lan Her eldest sister, Thanh Lan, was more than just a celebrated beauty. She founded trung tâm Thanh Lan, one of the first Vietnamese-American record labels, launching timeless albums. Another sibling, the youngest brother, Billy "Bắc" Bui, would go on to launch his own label, trung tâm Thúy Anh, signing rising stars who later became household names. From this lineage of creators and entrepreneurs, the founders of Làng Văn emerged, whose vision was always about legacy. When Làng Văn released its first album in 1982, few could have predicted its future as one of the bedrocks of an entire industry. At the time, the Vietnamese-American music scene was a constellation of labels. Dozens of them clustered in the small but vibrant community of Westminster. Each label added a new voice to a growing community of post-migration culture. Over the decades, as some closed and others merged, Làng Văn slowly, methodically acquired many of them. "Our goal was to ensure that no piece of the Vietnamese musical story would be lost to time," says Nguyễn. Today, while only a few independent labels remain, much of the collective legacy of Vietnamese music in the US has been gathered under Làng Văn's roof, forming a unified archive of cultural memory. Làng Văn Evolution isn't always smooth sailing, however. The company, like the industry itself, had to navigate a slow and often difficult transition from physical formats to digital. In the early days, Làng Văn thrived on the sale of cassettes, VHS, CDs, and DVDs. As technology began to outpace tradition, the shift to digital proved challenging, especially for the first-generation leadership. The founders faced the overwhelming task of digitizing an ever-growing catalog while continuing to acquire more. That's until their children stepped in. After completing their studies, Nguyễn and her brother, Phiton Nguyễn, returned to the family business with a mission to modernize. The work was painstaking and tedious, but essential. Bit by bit, album by album, they began digitizing an empire. Hidden among the stacks, they found long-forgotten recordings. "Seeing all the unreleased tracks and lost footage like moments frozen in time, it felt like uncovering buried treasure," Nguyễn shares. Co-Founder & CEO - Lan Nguyễn and Her Daughter & COO - Mimi Nguyễn Làng Văn Now, with the digital infrastructure firmly in place and the weight of history in its vaults, Làng Văn is once again looking forward. This time, the future isn't about digitizing the past but reimagining it. With a fully owned catalog and empowered by emerging technologies, the company is embracing innovation with the same boldness that defined its beginnings. "We're currently exploring AI as a tool for artistic reinvention. It's usually seen as a threat to creative authenticity. But we see its potential in producing fresh interpretations. Think remixes, samples, and modern arrangements that introduce classic Vietnamese songs to younger audiences and global listeners," Nguyễn shares. Because Làng Văn owns its entire catalog, it's positioned to create a limitless canvas for reinvention. Làng Văn's essence remains rooted in its mission to protect, preserve, and propel Vietnamese culture through music. It stands out in an industry that usually prioritizes trends over tradition. Nguyễn states, "We're here to protect a legacy born from displacement and diaspora, champion voices that history might otherwise overlook, and ensure that Vietnamese music continues to evolve without forgetting where it came from."
NBC News
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Daniel Martin shares his journey as an Asian-American beauty industry trailblazer
NBC News' Vicky Nguyen sat down for a makeup session with Daniel Martin to discuss his trailblazing journey as a Vietnamese-American in the beauty industry. The two talk about his beauty tips, growing client list and what it's like to work with celebrities such as Meghan 16, 2025
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal lawsuit claims California's labor code discriminates against Vietnamese nail techs, salon owners
A federal civil lawsuit against California alleges that the state's Labor Code discriminates against Vietnamese-American manicurists and salon owners, following the passage of a 2020 law that changed how employees and independent contractors are classified. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on Saturday, argues that only nail technicians are excluded from being classified as independent contractors due to a California law enacted in 2020. Nail technicians, many of whom are Vietnamese-American, were also considered independent contractors before the law's passage. According to the suit, 'in California, approximately 82% of all nail manicurists/ pedicurists ('nail technicians') are Vietnamese American, and 85% of these are women.' 'The penalties for misclassifying a worker as an independent contractor are severe, and when the defendants, as heads of their enforcement agencies, enforce the new rule prohibiting nail technicians from being independent contractors, the damage to the plaintiffs will be severe and irreparable. In this regard, the salon plaintiffs will be forced out of business and will be forced to close their doors. In addition, the salon plaintiffs will be subject to significant assessments and financial penalties that will be impossible to pay,' the suit added. California Assemblyman Tri Ta (R-Westminster) stated that he has introduced legislation, Assembly Bill 504, to restore equal rights to manicurists. The labor law switch occurred in 2020, when AB 5, a law that altered the classification of workers as employees or independent contractors, took effect. Before its passage, in 2018, the California Supreme Court changed the requirements companies must use to label their workers as independent contractors. At the time, companies that opposed the bill waged a campaign to prevent its passage. The businesses that filed the suit include multiple locations of Happy Nails & Spa, Holly and Hudson, and Blu Nail Bar. 'Since January, Vietnamese American manicurists have faced blatant discrimination under California's labor laws, stripped of the same rights and freedoms afforded to others in their industry,' Scott Wellman, attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. 'If the State of California refuses to fix this injustice, we are prepared to hold them accountable in federal court.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pope names bishop of San Diego, marking first Vietnamese-American bishop in US
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — On Thursday, Pope Leo XIV appointed Auxiliary Bishop Michael Pham as the new bishop of San Diego, making him the first Vietnamese-American bishop in the United States. The announcement was a historic moment for both the Diocese of San Diego and the broader Catholic community. Born on Jan. 27, 1967, in Da Nang, Vietnam, Bishop Pham fled the country with his family in 1980, seeking refuge in Malaysia. After being sponsored by an American family, they settled in Blue Earth, Minnesota, in 1981. The Pham family relocated to San Diego in 1985, Bishop Pham completed his education and eventually entered the priesthood. He was ordained in 1999 for the Diocese of San Diego. Throughout his ministry, Bishop Pham has held various roles, including pastor, diocesan vocations director, and vicar general. In 2017, he was appointed as episcopal vicar for ethnic and intercultural communities, a position that allowed him to foster unity among the diverse cultural groups within the diocese. VIDEO: Fireball erupts as plane crashes in San Diego Bishop Pham's appointment as Bishop of San Diego is a significant milestone in the Catholic Church's history in the U.S. His ascension to this role reflects the church's recognition of the contributions of immigrant communities and the importance of diverse leadership. The Diocese of San Diego, serving approximately 1.3 million Catholics, is hoping for continued growth and unity under his guidance. The installation ceremony for Bishop Pham is scheduled for July 17, 2025, at the Cathedral Catholic Church in San Diego. The community eagerly anticipates this momentous occasion, celebrating a new chapter in diocesan 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hindu
21-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Who is St. Francis of Assisi? Why did the Pope chose to go by his name?
When Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was anointed as the Pope, he chose to rename himself as Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, the medieval saint who founded the Franciscans, one of the largest orders in the Catholic Church. St. Francis' tomb is situated at the hilltop town on Assisi in Italy, where the saint was born here more than 840 years ago. 'The life of St. Francis teaches the way to holiness is giving up yourself, getting rid of things that hold us back in our life here, and just offer ourselves to the Lord,' said the Rev. Paul Vu, who was visiting in early March with a group of 50 Vietnamese-American parishioners from Santa Ana, California. In 1182, St. Francis was born to a wealthy family in Assisi, which rises above a fertile valley in central Italy. Praying in front of a crucifix, he is said to have heard a call to reform the church. He aspired to strip everything down to the essentials in the service of God. The Santuario della Spogliazione, which literally means stripping, is a sober stone church on the hillside. It marks the spot where he gave up even his clothes in front of his father, who disinherited him. St. Francis was accepted into the church by the bishop as an advocate of the poor and went on to found a religious order that's still active globally today, the Franciscans. For Assisi's current bishop, the Rev. Domenico Sorrentino, St. Francis' renunciation of material encumbrances also signaled his love of creation and of peace. 'Francis, stripping himself, came back to nature in some sense. So we must receive nature as a gift of God, and respect this gift,' Sorrentino told The Associated Press. During the Crusades, St. Francis befriended a Muslim sultan — their exchanges are still seen as an example of the kind of interfaith dialogue that St. John Paul II promoted by gathering leaders of the major global religions in Assisi during his papacy. On why Pope Francis chose the name, Rev. Enzo Fortunato, who spent 30 years in Assisi and now leads the Vatican's committee on World Children's Day, says: 'He explained it in a very simple way, that he chose Francis' name because he's the man of peace, of the poor, of brotherhood. The man who loves and respects creation.' 'It's a name that contains a life programme,' he says. Several of the pope's encyclicals — teaching documents for the church — pulled from Franciscan themes and quotes, including one about building a more inclusive church. This year will mark the 800th anniversary of St. Francis' celebrated 'canticle of creatures,' where he praises God for the sun, the moon and other natural elements he refers to as brothers and sisters. Pope Francis used its title for an encyclical highlighting the importance of taking care of the environment because it's a gift from God that humankind only gets to protect, not exploit. The basilica is Assisi contains a cycle of more than two dozen frescoes illustrating crucial moments in St. Francis' life — including the 'spogliazione.' Painted by Giotto at the end of the 13th century, they marked a turning point in Western art. Their realism and careful rendering of space and depth went far beyond what was common in the Middle Ages and presaged the Renaissance. They were spared destruction in the 1997 earthquake that hit the region, killing four people in the basilica itself. Across town is the Basilica di Santa Chiara, dedicated to St. Clare, who embraced radical poverty to imitate St. Francis. He made available to her and the growing group of women following her a local church — the beginning of the Poor Clares order, now present in 70 countries with 20,000 sisters. In between the two churches, in the Santuario della Spogliazione, lies the Blessed Carlo Acutis, an Italian teen who died in 2006 and will become the church's first millennial saint when canonized in April.
